NOW IN THEATERS

BLACK PANTHER

Marvel Studios continues its run of superhero movies, this time focusing on T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman), aka Black Panther. The real star, however, is not the Black Panther but his homeland of Wakanda, a futuristic African country that director Ryan Coogler impressively imbues with detail and world-building. T’Challa returns to this land to rule as king after his father’s death, and soon finds himself battling enemies old (an arms dealer played by Andy Serkis) and new (a usurper to the throne played by Michael B. Jordan), while confronting concerns about Wakanda’s isolationism. It’s bracing to see a diverse, utopian society portrayed on screen, and not only does the cast feature an incredible array of people of color, but the women are powerful and brilliant, led by Letitia Wright as an inventor and Lupita Nyong’o as a member of a Wakanda all-women special forces unit. Some typical Marvel problems muddy the waters (dodgy CGI and a cluttered climax), but the studio has never made a picture that feels this fresh. Rated PG-13. 134 minutes. Screens in 2-D only at Regal Stadium 14; Violet Crown. (Robert Ker)

BLOCKERS

Since the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and the resulting youth movement for gun control, the refrain this spring seems to be that the kids are — well — more than all right. Blockers, an innovative and genuinely funny high-school sex comedy, is further proof that Gen Z is emerging as the most forward-thinking group of young adults to come along in decades — even if they may eat a few Tide Pods from time to time. Director Kay Cannon (writer for the Pitch Perfect films and 30 Rock TV show) helms this farce, in which three parents (Leslie Mann, Ike Barinholtz, and John Cena) team up to stop their daughters from losing their virginities on prom night. The film plays fast and loose with the cultural double standard in which a young woman’s “purity” is to be protected at all costs, while teenage “boys will be boys.” The trio of teenagers (Kathryn Newton, Geraldine Viswanathan, Gideon Adlon) is as talented as the adult cast, and the tension between the parents and their children is as sweet as it is hilarious. “Why is sex even bad?” Viswanathan’s character wonders. Even while dialing up the raunch factor (there’s a particularly disgusting limo scene that is soaked in projectile vomit), Blockers ultimately becomes another positive reminder of just how much our children have to teach us. Rated R. 102 minutes. Regal Stadium 14; Violet Crown. (Molly Boyle)

CHAPPAQUIDDICK

In July of 1969, Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy left a party on Chappaquiddick Island and accidentally drove his car off a one-lane bridge into the waters. He escaped the car and fled the scene; the woman with him, campaign adviser Mary Jo Kopechne, died. This movie dramatizes the incident, Kennedy’s escape from severe punishment, and the wide-ranging political fallout, with Jason Clarke playing Kennedy and Kate Mara as Kopechne. Bruce Dern plays family patriarch Joseph Kennedy Sr., and Ed Helms also stars. Rated PG-13. 101 minutes. Regal Stadium 14; Violet Crown. (Not reviewed)

THE DEATH OF STALIN

This political satire from British director Armando Iannucci (creator of Veep) starts out with such sublime hilarity that you are deep into the picture before you realize that you’re not laughing so much anymore. In 1953 Russia, Josef Stalin (Adrian McLoughlin) holds the reins of power and the reigns of terror. He’s surrounded by men who have stayed alive by reading his moods and dancing to his tune. His inner circle is composed of crude, cunning Nikita Khrushchev (Steve Buscemi), scheming Lavrenti Beria (Simon Russell Beale), weasely Georgy Malenkov (Jeffrey Tambor), and cocktail master Vyacheslav Molotov (Michael Palin). But when Stalin collapses in his office, the jockeying for position is wonderful to see. The movie has clear satirical targets in a political moment where Russia is ruled by the most powerfully ruthless man to head it since Stalin dropped to that office floor, and our own country has a president who seems increasingly to surround himself with yes men and toadies. In satire, timing is everything. Rated R. 107 minutes. Center for Contemporary Arts; Violet Crown. (Jonathan Richards)

I CAN ONLY IMAGINE

The rock band MercyMe’s 1999 hit song “I Can Only Imagine” crossed over from Christian radio stations and became a mainstream hit in the early 2000s. In this retelling of that story, J. Michael Finley plays MercyMe singer Bart Millard, who wrote the song in honor of his father (Dennis Quaid), who passed away when he was eighteen. Rated PG. 110 minutes. Regal Stadium 14. (Not reviewed)

ISLE OF DOGS

There’s plenty of love, plenty of dogs, and one hell of an island in this splendid Wes Anderson animated adventure. Trash Island is a garbage dump off the coast of a Japanese city ruled by dastardly Mayor Kobayashi (Kunichi Nomura), where all the dogs of the city are exiled on account of a mysterious illness. But when the mayor’s orphaned nephew Atari (Koyu Rankin) crash-lands his plane on the island to rescue his canine best friend Spots (Liev Shreiber), the game’s afoot! The pack of dogs that join Atari in his quest includes Rex (Edward Norton), the leader; King (Bob Balaban), a former TV spokesdog; Boss (Bill Murray), a baseball team mascot; and Duke (Jeff Goldblum), a rumormongrel. And then there’s Chief (Bryan Cranston), a stray who’s never submitted to human ownership. The human dialogue is delivered mostly in untranslated Japanese. The language barrier emphasizes the gap between humans and dogs — barks are rendered in English. It’s all smart, funny, and full of character, and the plot, while convoluted, never ceases to engage. The visuals are extraordinary, there’s excitement, suspense, and tugs at the heartstrings, and plenty of topical relevance. Rated PG-13. 101 minutes. In English and Japanese with occasional subtitles. Center for Contemporary Arts; Regal Stadium 14; Violet Crown. (Jonathan Richards)

LEANING INTO THE WIND: ANDY GOLDSWORTHY

German director Thomas Riedelsheimer’s new documentary on environmental artist Andy Goldsworthy expands the context of his 2001 film Rivers and Tides to include more of the artist’s large-scale projects and interactions with the people he meets and works with. But whether he is crafting intricate and ephemeral works, sometimes assisted by his daughter Holly, or simply engaged in spontaneous acts of communion with nature, Goldsworthy seems most at home as a kind of solitary figure in the landscape. Riedelsheimer’s ambitious film follows Goldsworthy to Gabon, America, Brazil, Scotland, and France to capture alluring moments of beauty that honor nature while underscoring how we take our surroundings for granted. In the interim between Rivers

and Tides and Leaning Into the Wind, Goldsworthy has incorporated more of his own body into his art, creating works in a kind of impromptu performance. Riedelsheimer’s camera captures these moments in an intuitive collaboration. Rated PG. 93 minutes. In English, Portuguese, and French with subtitles. The Screen. (Michael Abatemarco)

THE LEISURE SEEKER

Donald Sutherland and Helen Mirren play a married couple in Massachusetts who are suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and cancer, respectively, so they take their rickety old camper van (dubbed the “Leisure Seeker”) on one last road trip while they still have what is left of their health. Their destination is the Hemingway Home & Museum in the Florida Keys, and along the way they enjoy gentle comic moments and bittersweet scenes of reminiscing and reflection. Rated R. 112 minutes. Violet Crown. (Not reviewed)

THE MIRACLE SEASON

David Aaron Cohen, who wrote 2004’s Friday Night Lights, co-writes this film, which attempts to do for women’s volleyball what that film did for football: tell a based-on-true-events story about a small-town, high-school team that overcomes adversity and finds success. Helen Hunt stars as Kathy Bresnahan, a coach who leads her team to an incredible season after her star player (Danika Yarosh) suddenly dies. William Hurt also stars. Rated PG. 99 minutes. Regal Stadium 14. (Not reviewed)

PACIFIC RIM UPRISING

Director Guillermo del Toro did not return for this sequel to his 2013 movie about humankind’s use of giant robots to stave off extinction at the hands of giant monsters, but he remained as producer, putting first-time director Steven S. DeKnight behind the camera. John Boyega (Finn in the Star Wars films) stars as the leader of a new generation of robot-piloting heroes (called “Jaegers”) who must face off against the monsters — and against a rogue Jaeger. Rinko Kikuchi and Charlie Day return from the first film. Rated PG-13. 111 minutes. Screens in 2-D only at Regal Stadium 14. (Not reviewed)

A QUIET PLACE

John Krasinski, best known for clowning around as Jim on The Office, directs and stars in this horror movie with his real-life wife, Emily Blunt. They play a married couple with two children who live on a farm in upstate New York. There, they are stalked by mysterious creatures that hunt by the sense of sound, forcing them to live their lives in total silence. The premise requires a fair amount of suspension of disbelief — it’s hard not to think that a little soundproofing would go a long way, and no matter how fast and lethal these creatures may be, animals with five senses should theoretically have the upper hand over opponents with only one. Put that aside, however, and you’re left with a well-crafted thriller with cool creature design, superb acting, innovative use of sound and silence, and a great deal of heart. Much like his fellow TV comic Jordan Peele with last year’s Get Out, let’s hope Krasinski has found a new calling. Rated PG-13. 90 minutes. Regal Stadium 14; Violet Crown. (Robert Ker)

READY PLAYER ONE

Steven Spielberg tackles this adaptation of Ernest Cline’s 2011 novel Ready Player One, set in a future in which people live in miserable circumstances, and find escape in a virtual-reality simulator based on nostalgia for video games and pop culture. The story centers on a young man named Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) who enters the simulator to hunt for treasure left by the game’s late creator, teaming with a player named Art3mis (Olivia Cooke) to outrace an evil CEO (Ben Mendelsohn) for the elusive prize. Along the way, they encounter elements of films such as Back to the Future and The

Iron Giant and solve mysteries related to iconic video games. Sharp-eyed viewers will spot everyone from Hello Kitty to Freddy Krueger, in addition to more obscure properties. But the only time the story truly engages with these references is an inventive scene using sets and moments from Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 film The Shining. In stuffing the screen with references, the visuals often become an ugly, muddy soup, seasoned with poorly sketched characters, a belabored climax, and stiff jokes. Spielberg seems to be attempting a statement about how we turn to pop-culture nostalgia to hide from personal unhappiness and avoid solving greater societal problems. He nearly touches on something profound, but ultimately doesn’t offer solutions beyond “Hey, unplug your devices once in a while!” Rated PG-13. 140 minutes. Screens in 2-D and 3-D at Regal Stadium 14, Violet Crown; in 2-D only at Jean Cocteau Cinema. (Robert Ker)

SHERLOCK GNOMES

This sequel to 2011’s Gnomeo & Juliet has everything that fans enjoyed about the first one: animated garden gnomes, voicework by James McAvoy and Emily Blunt (as Gnomeo and Juliet, respectively), jokes about bodily functions, and music by Elton John. This time, Johnny Depp joins the antics, voicing Sherlock Gnomes, a detective who is called in when garden ornaments begin to mysteriously disappear. Michael Caine, Maggie Smith, Mary J. Blige, and Ozzy Osbourne also provide voicework. Rated PG. 100 minutes. Screens in 2-D only at Regal Stadium 14. (Not reviewed)

TYLER PERRY’S ACRIMONY

Filmmaker Tyler Perry generally operates in three genres: broad comedies, ensemble family dramedies, and domestic thrillers. His latest picture is one of the latter, starring Taraji P. Henson as a woman who suspects her husband (Lyriq Bent) is two-timing her, only to find out that his deceit is much worse than she suspected — and that she might actually be the mistress. She embarks on a quest for revenge. Rated R. 120 minutes. Regal Stadium 14. (Not reviewed)